Thinking about a transfer??? PLEASE HELP!!!!! (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: job, hospitals, university)

[JGRO3482]

Hi,

My husband is thinking about taking a job transfer to Waterloo. I however am very satisfied with where I am living now, and if I have to move I want to live somewhere that is very comparible any suggestions??? Looking to live in between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo but as close to Illinois as possible.

Looking for:
*Top 10 school districts in state
*Within in a 45 minute drive of a top 10 hospital in state or top 100 hospital in nation.
*Located near a Mall, Target, Dance Schools, Restuarants, but not a tourist destination.
* Subdivisions, not farmland
*State University (not a community college) within 45 minutes.

I am so demanding, PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

[Go Ne]

Well, Iowa City would work the best but its about 10 miles south or Cedar Rapids. Other wise Cedar Rapids too would work.

[Roy G. Biv]

All of those things would fit with with Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and maybe Iowa City. But not with Waterloo and definitely not anywhere in between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids.

[todd00]

where are you living now?

[steve0518]

why not Waterloo or Cedar Falls? There is a Target. State University. Restaurants and Malls(not very good ones!) Great schools in Cedar Falls. I'm guessing the hospitals are good, but regardless you wouldn't be too far from Cedar Rapids, and the UI hospital is merely an hour away.

[Roy G. Biv]

The hospitals are okay in Waterloo, they aren't tiny dumps or anything, but they aren't spectacular if you're planning on having major brain surgery or something. My wife worked at Allen Hospital which is the better of the two and is a member of the larger Iowa Health System. She now works at St. Lukes in Cedar Rapids. The bigger cities have better hospitals, period. For a really serious operation you'd probably go elsewhere, but for any kind of emergency Waterloo is good. Also I'd add that Waterloo West is a really decent school and so is Cedar Falls. I went to UNI in cedar falls, and I recall Cedar Falls being a really pleasant place to live. Its a really nice, clean and vibrant collge town (a pretty conservative university with mostly teaching and business students) but at the same time it was real down to earth town and not yuppieville (although I think suburban yuppieville is what the original poster happens to be looking for).

[JGRO3482]

Thanks for all the help, it's really the finer details that are major hang ups for me.

Everyone is mentioning Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, but I would like to be as close to Illinois as possible without inconviencing my husband and his new job with a long commute.

However, I don't want to live in a college town (becaus have young children) but I need to be close to a major University to finish my degree.

I also don't want to live in a heavily populated city (no more than 10,000 or so). I am also looking for the socioeconomic status of the community because that essentially determines the type of things the community has to offer and the amount of money that is invested in the school districts and of course the kind of people you will be living next to.

I am also leaving one of the best Hospitals in Illinois and that is my livelihood and huge for me. I worked hard to get into their system and need to move to something compariable with a major trauma center with life flight nursing.

The amount of Sex Offenders is huge too especially with children.

How is North Liberty or Fairfax

THIS MOVE IS GOING TO DRIVE ME NUTS!!!!!!!!!

[JGRO3482]

How far is Cedar Rapids from Waterloo????

[JustAnotherIowan]

Originally Posted by JGRO3482

How far is Cedar Rapids from Waterloo????

Just a mere 55 miles south

I'm somewhat, but not very, familiar with the Waterloo area so I'll spend a little time this weekend looking around to see if I can come up with a few goods towns for you to take a look at.

[neanerbean]

Most college towns have a clear separation of City citizens and students. I have young kids and love living in a college town.